Lifeguard pilot light for range tops



May 15, 1962 L. R. KINSEY LIFEGUARD PILOT LIGHT FOR RANGE TOPS Filed July 23, 1958 INVENTOR. LEW/S R K/NSE) l0 ii! United States Patent 3 034,572 LIFEGUARD PILOT LIGHT FOR RANGE TOPS Lewis R. Kinsey, 108 S. 25th St., Phoenix, Ariz. Filed July 23, 1958, Ser. No. 750,493 1 Claim. (Cl. 158-130) This invention relates to gas burners, and more particularly to a pilot assembly for gas burners.

The object of the present invention is to provide an assembly which is designed or constructed primarily for safety.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pilot assembly which is constructed so that the thermostatic unit or automatic shut-off control unit can be mounted below the level of the flash tubes and which will not be affected by the heat from the flash tubes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly which takes up very little space and wherein with the present invention existing equipment of the automatic pilot light of gas heaters and hot water heaters can be arranged or made to work on the top of a gas range.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pilot light for range tops which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view illustrating one form of the present invention, and with parts broken away and in section;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but illustrating a modification; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view illustrating the bracket before the portions are bent.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, the numeral designates each of a plurality of flash tubes, and the inner ends of the tubes 10 are connected to a holder 11. The lower portion of the holder 11 is cutout as at 12. The numeral 13 indicates a shield which has its upper end connected to the holder 11, and there is further provided a support member 14 which is connected to the lower portion of the shield 13 in any suitable manner, as for example by means of securing elements 15.

Extending through the support member 14 is a pilot member 16, and a cap 17 is connected to the upper end of the pilot member 16. The cap 17 is provided with spaced apart openings 18 and 19 therein. Thus, the opening 18 is arranged in the top of the cap 17, while the opening 19 is arranged in the side of the cap.

The numeral 20 indicates an elbow which is connected to the lower end of the pilot member 16 in any suitable manner, as for example by means of a set screw 21, and a conduit 22 is connected to the elbow 20.

There is further provided a thermocouple 23 which extends through the support member 14, and a capillary line 24 is connected to the thermocouple 23.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 4 of the drawings, there is illustrated a modification wherein the numeral 25 designates flash tubes which have their inner ends connected to a holder 26. The numeral 27 indicates a pilot light which has a cap 28 on its upper end, and there is further provided a doughnut shaped or annular thermocouple 29 which has a capillary line 30 connected thereto.

The holder 26 includes an annular side wall or side "ice portion 31, and the numeral 33 designates a bracket which has portions 33' bent down over the thermocouple 211. In FIGURE 3 air enters through openings 32 and passes up through the doughnut shaped thermocouple. Thus, air enters the holder 26 through the openings 32, and as previously stated, the bracket 33 has portions 33' bent down and over the thermocouple 29 to hold the thermocouple in place.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that there has been provided an assembly which will be highly eflicient in use, and in FIGURES 1 and 2 the inner ends of the plurality of flash tubes 10 are connected to the holder 11 in any suitable manner. The bottom of the holder 11 is open as at 12, and it is to be noted that the cap 17 has an opening 19 in its side as well as an opening 18 in its top, and this arrangement of openings serves to insure that the flames will be directed sidewardly as well as upwardly. Gas for the pilot 16 is supplied through the conduit 22. The pilot 16 and thermocouple 23 are both mounted in the support member 14, and the capillary line 24 is connected to the themocouple 23.

In FIGURES 3 and 4 instead of utilizing an upright thermocouple, a doughnut shaped or circular thermocouple 29 is used, and the thermocouple 29 has a capillary line 30 connected thereto. The flash tubes 25 are connected to the holder 26, and the thermocouple 29 is mounted in the lower portion of the holder 26 and is retained in place by means of the brackets 33. In both forms of the invention air enters through the bottom. Thus, in FIGURE 1 air can enter through an opening such as the opening 35, whereas in FIGURE 3, air can enter through the openings 32.

The thermocouple 29 has the shape of a doughnut or open ring and the thermocouple 29 can be like a conventional thermocouple except that instead of being straight, it is bent into the doughnut shape or open ring shape and this bending is preferably done before filling.

It is to be understood that the main master valve to be used with the present invention may be of conventional construction and is adapted to have a special bleedofl' connection for the gas that goes to only the pilot light. This valve also has a push button mounted thereon and must be operated when lighting the pilot light so that this valve has to be mounted in a convenient location. The best location is at the inside front of the stove where the gas comes from the back and makes a right angle bend going across the front of the stove so as to form the gas manifold. By placing the master valve in this position or in this corner, the push button can extend through a hole in the sheet metal in front of the stove and will be highly attractive and will be convenient and handy at all times.

Heretofore, manufacturers, designers and engineers have been unable to make the existing equipment of the automatic pilot light of gas heaters and hot water heaters work on top of a gas range.

This is where the heat from the pilot light controls some sort of a thermostat which in turn controls a master valve that supplies all gas to all burners so as to make it necessary that the pilot light must be burning before any gas will even go to any of the burners.

Thus, apparently there is so much heat coming down the flash tubes from the burners and striking the heating element, that it causes too great a heat range for the present equipment to work satsifactorily or successfully, but the present invention overcomes the difliculty.

According to the present invention there is used a standard vertical pilot light tube 16 in FIGURE 1 and the thermocouple or bulb 23 is held in a vertical and fixed position by means of the member 14. The entire unit is surrounded by the slightly conical shield 13 which can be made of a suitable material such as sheet aluminum,

and it is fully open at the bottom so as to permit plenty )1? air to pass through for supporting combustion.

The pilot light and its thermocouple are mounted on he inside of this cover or shield 13 and is below the evel of the top thereof. On top of the shield 13 is mount- :d the holder 11 for the flash tubes that go to the dif- Terent burners. The holder 11 has a large hole in the bottom thereof in order to permit the air and pilot flame to pass therethrough. The top of the pilot light cap 17 is ust below the holder 11, and the cap 17 on the pilot light 1as two holes 19 and 18 drilled into it so as to permit two :eparate flames, but these two holes are connected by a ine saw cut so that when a person lights, one, the other vill automatically light also. Furthermore, one of these roles I9 is on the side and is to heat the thermocouple 23 )nly. The other one is directly on top as indicated by he numeral 18 and goes up through the flash tube holder l1 and will light any or all of the main burners when urned on. This method permits the thermostatic unit )r automatic shut-off control unit to be mounted below 1e level of the flash tubes and is not aflfected by the heat herefrom. Furthermore, the two pilot flames both light ind go out simultaneously. The cap 17 is adapted to be Jressed on and many be secured in place by suitable pins )1 securing elements which prevent it fro-m turning and which prevent the side flame from getting out of line with he thermocouple unit.

In the modification of FIGURES 3 and 4, this assembly :an use the same master valve as is used with FIGURES l and 2, but the assembly of FIGURES 3 and 4- is less Ieep. In fact, it takes up very little more room than the aresent non-automatic pilot light for ranges and is made rery much the same and very closely resembles the pres- :nt non-automatic pilot light except that in FIGURES l and 4 the device is made slightly larger in diameter and 1 little deeper.

The present non-automatic pilot for ranges uses two :ylinders or cups, one being smaller and mounted on the ns-ide of the other. The small one surrounds the pilot ight flame and protects it from winds and drafts. The arger one supports the inside ends of the flash tubes. The sides or Walls of the small cup are not straight up ind down but are conical and they taper in towards the op which is much smaller than the bottom.

In FIGURES 3 and 4 there is concealed the small ioughnut shape thermocouple 29 which is almost as small a life saver candy mint and has approximately the same :hape.

The diameter of the flash tube holder can easily be Found after the diameter of the thermocouple is fixed. Furthermore, the diameter of the top of the flash tube iolder can be smaller than the bottom by making the ;ide walls a little higher and this will have the same eflect )f placing the thermocouple a little lower and farther away from the heat from the flash tubes.

For economy and simplicity in manufacturing the small loughnut shaped thermocouple 29, the thermocouple can )e made from a small tube or bulb with the outer end ;ealed up and then the device can be bent into the round )r doughnut ring shape. The filling of the thermocouple :an be accomplished after the bending and one end of the :apillary lead line 30 can be fastened to one end of the :hermocouple ring 29.

Some automatic pilot controls use a different filling ngredient for the thermostatic bulb unit. Thus, some ise a small capillary copper line running from the thermostat at the pilot light to the master shut-off valve, and ;ome use wire making an electrical connection between he pilot light and the waster valve. The present inven- ;ion is not limited to any one method because they will all work provided they have the proper heat range and :he bulb or thermocouple is placed below and/or protected from the heat of the flash tubes.

Furthermore, when using the doughnut shape thermozouple or bulb 29, the cap 28 for the pilot light may have one or more holes or may be cut in various ways in order to heat the thermocouple 29 and to light the main burner through the flash tubes 25 which are mounted above.

While a standard vertical mounted thermocouple and a doughnut shaped thermocouple have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that they can be of any desired shape and they will still work sucessfully provided the other factors are properly taken care of. A standard but horizontally mounted thermocouple will take but little space, but the added cost of its holding unit and brackets with the flash tube holder mounted on top should be considered. The doughnut shaped thermocouple mounts inside the flash tube holder itself and therefore it needs no outside braces, brackets or holders.

In certain instances, it may be necessary to better insulate the top or near side of the oven especially when this pilot light unit is mounted above the oven.

In FIGURE 1 the cap 17 provides a double flame, one on the top and one on the side and the numeral 23 indicates a thermocouple or bulb unit. The shield 13 surrounds the pilot light and the flash tube holder 11 is mounted on top of the shield, and the entire unit is supported by the pilot gas line and flash tubes. The capillary line 24 extends from the pilot light to the master valve, and some systems use wire at this point for an electrical contact between the pilot light and th master valve, but the present invention is not limited to either.

The elbow 20 and connection 22 are for supplying gas to a pilot light, and the set screw 21 retains the elbow in place and when loosened, permits the elbow to be swung into any direction.

The surrounding shield 13 and flash tube holder 11 permit application of the assembly to a range top and this is believed to be novel.

In FIGURE 3 the flash tubes 25 are connected to the holder 26, and there is provided the small gas line 27 for the pilot light.

The doughnut shaped thermocouple or bulb completely surrounds the pilot light, and the shield for the thermocouple goes completely around the thermocouple and holds it down and in place. The capillary line 34 serves the same purpose as the previously described capillary line 24. Air enters the flash tube holder 26 through holes in the bottom, up around the pilot light and up inside the hole in the doughnut shaped thermocouple.

The method of fastening the flash tubes into the flash tube holder is no different than the non-automatic type that has been in use for many years. In the vertical model, the flash tube holder has a large section cut out of the bottom as indicated by the numeral 12, in order to let the pilot flame pass through, and in the doughnut shaped model, this holder is a little larger and a little deeper. This is the difference between the standard model and the present invention. As previously stated, air for combustion enters through the bottom in both models.

In FIGURE 3 the thermocouple is heated the same as in FIGURE 1, with a side flame. The bracket 33 is of one piece construction and can be made of sheet metal as shown in FIGURE 5 and this piece of metal is merely bent into a round shape and placed inside the bottom of the flash tube holder but around the outside of the doughnut shaped thermocouple. The portions 33' are then bent down over the doughnut shaped thermocouple and the bottom portions 33" of the bracket 33 extend down through slots or openings in the bottom plate 5 and are bent so as to form a solid and economically constructed unit.

As stated previously the present invention provides an arrangement which is extremely safe.

If a main burner is turned on when the pilot light is burning, the main will light and if a main burner is turned on, when the pilot light is not burning, no gas will come out, and if the pilot light goes out, from any cause, all

0 gas to all burners is automatically shut off by the master valve.

The bracket 33 can be made of a piece of sheet metal which is bent into a round shape which is then placed around and on the outside of the doughnut shaped thermocouple. The top portions 33 are then bent down over the thermocouple and the bottom portions 33 extend down through slots or openings in the bottom side and are then bent over as shown in FIGURE 3 so as to form a complete assembly.

Minor changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

I claim:

A device of the character described for gas stoves or ranges adapted to have top burners, comprising a plurality of flash tubes, a holder operatively connected to and communicating with the inner end portions of said flash tubes, said holder including an annular side wall and a horizontally disposed bottom wall, there being a plurality of inlet openings in the bottom wall of said holder, a pilot member mounted within said holder, said pilot member being provided with an inlet passage and with spaced apart openings communicating therewith, said openings being arranged at the top and side portions thereof so as to permit two separate flames that both light and go out simultaneously, an annular doughnut shaped thermocouple surrounding a portion of said pilot member, the top opening being directed towards the inner end portions of flash tubes, the side opening being directed towards the thermocouple, said thermocouple being arranged below the level of the flash tubes, and said thermocouple being arranged adjacent the lower portion of the holder, a capillary line connected to said thermocouple, and a bracket having portions thereof engaging said thermocouple for holding the thermocouple in place in the lower portion of the holder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

